1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to propulsion apparatus, and more particularly to propulsion apparatus which utilize unbalanced centrifugal forces to achieve unidirectional movement of an object.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of propulsion apparatus utilizing the principal of an unbalanced centrifugal force have been employed in the past. However, they are all constructed such that they create intermittent motion as opposed to continuous motion, and they are mechanically complex and inefficient thereby rendering them relatively expensive to manufacture and operate.
The prior art suggests that such unidirectional propulsion apparatus utilizing unbalanced centrifugal forces can be used to move objects on the land, water or in the air. While this is true, probably one of the most important possible applications is in conjunction with the acceleration of space vehicles which are out of the influence of the earth's gravitational pull, as such propulsion apparatus are otherwise relatively inefficient when used under the influence of the earth's gravity.
At present, space vehicles travelling between planets and which are not under the influence of the earth's gravity have been able to achieve only speeds of between 31,000 and 32,000 miles per hour. To achieve greater speeds would require the craft to carry considerable extra quantities of fuel, which is impractical. Accordingly, the use of a simple propulsion apparatus utilizing the principles of an unbalanced centrifugal force which is driven by solar energy becomes appealing under such conditions in order to continually accelerate the space craft when it is under minimal gravitational influences.
Probably the simplest form of propulsion apparatus which does not propel itself by a force acting against an external medium, such as land, water or air, but is rather propelled by a reaction created internally within the apparatus itself is the direct push propulsion unit of Llamozas described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,636,340. Llamozas discloses a propulsion apparatus which consists of a piston slidably received within a closed cylinder which has no ingress or egress. The piston is caused to extend into the cylinder thereby compressing the air contained therein to a small volume, at which point the force holding the piston is released allowing the piston to be propelled within the cylinder due to the force exerted thereon by the compressed gas. The reaction of the cylinder working against the piston of heavier mass thus causes the cylinder to be propelled in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the piston.
However, such a device, while being functional, is relatively inefficient and in addition propels the apparatus with rough intermittent motion instead of a smooth flowing continuous motion.
Instead of using unbalanced unidirectional forces as taught by Llamozas for propelling an object, a number of propulsion apparatus were developed which utilized an unbalanced centrifugal force, which in essence utilized the same basic principles as Llamozas, but permits the use of a plurality of propelling devices within the single apparatus instead of one propulsion mechanism alone. For example, see Laskowitz, U.S. Pat. No. 1,953,964, which utilizes an annular series of interconnected weights placed on radial arms which are eccentrically rotated about a common axis within a housing thereby creating an unbalanced centrifugal force imparting a unidirectional thrust to the housing. While Laskowitz does not use a compressed gas as taught by Llamozas, nevertheless the same principles are involved in that propulsion is created due to unbalanced forces set up within the unit or apparatus itself.
Other examples of such propulsion apparatus utilizing an unbalanced centrifugal force are illustrated in Great Britain Pat. No. 770,555 issued to Andrew Reid II and U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,915 issued to H. W. Young, Jr.
However, each of these apparatus is relatively mechanically complex in that a relatively large number of mechanically moveable parts is required and they are also relatively inefficient due to the losses created by excessive mechanical friction between mechanical parts. In addition, the propulsion motion created by these apparatus in nevertheless intermittent, even though their overall motion may be smoother than that experienced from the Llamozas apparatus, thereby adding to the inefficiency and causing undesirable vibrations to be imparted to the object being propelled.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,584,515 issued to Laszlo B. Matyas discloses a propulsion apparatus which also utilizes an unbalanced centrifugal force. Matyas discloses a propulsion apparatus which contains a central mass of liquid having a relatively high specific gravity, such as mercury, and provides an annular series of a large number of pistons which unitarily rotate about an axis with the mercury confined therebetween, and the pistons are cyclically operated to continually force the liquid from one side of the axis of rotation to the other thereby creating an unbalanced centrifugal force.
It can be noted from studying this particular structure that it is mechanically very complex and would therefore be relatively expensive to manufacture and would likely have a relatively high rate of failure as compared to the other prior art propulsion devices.
While the large number of pistons provided in an annular array in the Matyas disclosure does tend to smooth out the propulsion motion of the apparatus, nevertheless, the motion is still somewhat intermittent as opposed to being continuous.
It is the principal object of the present invention to eliminate the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art propulsion devices and to provide a propulsion apparatus which operates on the principal of utilizing an unbalanced centrifugal force to obtain unidirectional motion which is continuous as opposed to being intermittent, and which in addition is mechanically simpler and more efficient than the apparatus of the prior art.